Forecast

St. Joseph and Brookfield set to duke it out for Class S crown

Jon Chik| on June 13, 2014

There were only six boys lacrosse teams in Connecticut still practicing the last two days.

And that's exactly what St. Joseph coach Joe Izzo told his team in a practice prior to the Class S state championship game against Brookfield, which is slated for Saturday at 11 a.m. at McMahon High School in Norwalk.

"It feels great," Izzo said. "I said to the kids `you're one of six teams still practicing in the state.' It's a hell of an accomplishment, and it feels really good."

"These boys have been playing together since sixth grade and it's one of the first teams to come through Brookfield where lacrosse is their main sport," Loftus said. "They show up each day to carry one another and would stand by each other's side no matter what happened."

Both teams won rather convincingly in the tournament semifinals, with No. 8 St. Joseph taking down No. 5 Northwest Catholic 12-6 and No. 7 Brookfield besting No. 6 East Catholic 11-6.

"We've got to minimize turnovers and mistakes and if we can do that I think we'll do well," Izzo siad. "You want to own the groundball game and there are small victories throughout the game that we want to win."

The Bobcats are hoping to come out of the gates as hot as they did against East Catholic, when they built an early 3-0 lead and eventually expanded it to 11-3.

"The biggest key to victory will be time of possession," Loftus said. "With a team like St. Joe's, you cannot give them second and third opportunities. Taking care of the ball and working our offense will separate us from the Cadets. We're looking forward to tomorrow and will not leave anything on the field."

St. Joseph lost a 9-8 heart-breaker to Weston in last year's tournament finale, but the Cadets believe that experience could bode well this time around.

"I think nerves play a big role in it," St. Joseph assistant coach Brian Fried said. "Last year's team was very young. We dug ourselves a pretty deep hole based on nerves and the lights got a little bright and they were a little messed up. We fought our way back and lost a one-goal game, but these kids grow up and they're excited to be playing in a championship game."

"(Experience) can be a big advantage in the beginning of the game, but if we come out like we did against East Catholic and pour three or four goals in early, the uneasiness and nervousness will settle quickly," Loftus said.

It's also not the first time the Cadets and Bobcats have met for a state championship this school year. In the fall, St. Joseph captured the Class M state championship with a 54-16 win over Brookfield, and a few players from both of those teams also play lacrosse.

"We hadn't really mentioned it but it is interesting," Izzo siad. "Nobody's really said much about that."